Do you remember the time you got your passport request, have it stamped with your permanent resident visa and finally landed and became a permanent resident? How long has it been for you? We did ours in 2016 and over the years I can say that we have been successful in becoming immigrants of Canada and we are just getting started. Our success is primarily because of hard work, faith and relationships and these are actually the tips that I will be expounding throughout this post.

I’ll start with faith. It doesn’t matter who you believe in as long as you believe in something or someone that will provide for you, that is called faith. Faith coupled with hope is one powerful combination.

Tip #1 Pray and hope that everything is going to be alright. When you activate hope in your mind, you'll look forward to everything and you will be open to possibilities.

Being in a new country, there are a lot of uncertainties. The uncertainty of not getting a job that you wanted, not having enough money to pay for rent, hydro, food and survival, not being used to the very cold climate and not having people to support you. It is hard, it’s overwhelming. That is exactly what I was feeling three years ago. Although Canada is a promising country, the uncertainty is something that is probably the main reason why I would have backed out. But through hope and faith that everything is going to be alright, here we are, living the life that we wanted in the country that we are falling even more in love with every passing year.

No man is an island that’s what they say. Being an introvert, my relationships are very limited to my family, my relatives, and very close friends. If walls and seats at the farthest corner of the room counts, you can consider them parts of my relationships too.

When we moved to Canada, we really don’t know anyone except for my first cousin that I haven’t met in years and church mates that I haven’t even met personally. We are still lucky to have these people when we landed, some people come here without knowing anybody. What I realized is that, we really need to build relationships.

Tip #2 Build relationships at work, community, and church and don't be afraid to ask for help.

My former professor always says, your network is your net worth. By building relationships wherever you go, you indirectly increase your net worth. Make friends, make colleagues, make acquaintances. The more the better. You’ll never guess who might know who that can help you in your current struggle.

Tip #3 Always pay kindness forward.

A relationship is a two-way street. You get help, and you should help others as well. This is what I learned from the people who helped us and what they learned from people who helped them. You can never pay kindness with money or any material things, you repay kindness with kindness. Imagine if everyone in this world will give each other kindness, oh what a wonderful world it will be.

When we landed in Canada, we rented an Airbnb basement apartment for a month. Our landlord was also an immigrant a couple of years ago and there is one statement from him that I’ll never forget. He said Canada is good for people who work hard. This statement instilled hope in me, somehow this statement reinforced my belief that everything is going to be alright and that we made the right choice moving to Canada.

I think most people who come from nothing are hard workers. I’m not saying people who have everything are not hard workers, what I’m saying is that people who came from nothing have more motivation to get something they don’t have. Being poor when I was a kid, I always wonder why my siblings and I most of the time cannot have what we wanted when some kids can. Why do we sometimes have to ask for food and money from relatives or other people when some people don’t. As I was growing up, I realized that I could have what I wanted and will never have to ask for food and money from anyone if I work hard and give my best to everything I do.

Tip #4 Hard work is key, always give it your best in whatever you do.

Hard work always pays off. I have proven this time and time again. Who cares if you get a dishwashing job, work hard and people will appreciate and notice it and you will get a promotion. If not, you always have the free will to move on to keep on working or look for other opportunities.

Don’t be mistaken that hard work is equal to overtime, not resting, not sleeping. Hard work is putting in more than your usual effort in a smart and effective way. You have to be goal-oriented. You cannot be cutting down trees without knowing how many trees you should be cutting.

Tip #5 Work smart while working hard.

For the first two years, I hustled it out by working for almost 18 hours a day. I have a day job, a couple of side hustles while also studying coaching. I did work hard that I was able to buy our first house and our first car but my relationships suffered. I didn’t get to play with my daughter, I din’t get to go outside. My only friend was my computer, not even my bed and pillows.

What I realized is that if you have a family, the time you have with your little ones is very limited. Soon they will start school and you won’t be the only one they run to, soon they will not ask you to play in the playground with them, soon they won’t beg you to have them come with you to the grocery. These things, although small, are moments you cannot have again and at one point you have to ask yourself, is all the money you earned worth all the moments you have missed.

Give yourself time to enjoy, relax and celebrate your wins with people who matter in your life.

So there you go, to sum it up, these are the 5 tips you can use to be a successful immigrant.
Tip #1 Pray and hope that everything is going to be alright. When you activate hope in your mind, you’ll look forward to everything and you will be open to possibilities.
Tip #2 Build relationships at work, community, and church and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Tip #3 Always pay kindness forward.
Tip #4 Hard work is key, always give it your best in whatever you do.
Tip #5 Work smart while working hard.

Given these tips, how do you plan on becoming successful this new year? Leave a comment below or contact me if you have questions.

PS: I’m looking for 5 new immigrants (typically have been in their new country for the last twelve months) to participate in my beta life coaching program called Your Immigrant Success Story™. If you want to know more about the program click this link.

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